History Recap / PlayerTwoStart

* Creator/{{MTV}} creates a successful video game program reminiscent of OTL's ''Series/XPlay'', titled ''[=GameTV=]'', that runs from 1995 to 2000. The show's hosts (Ted Crosley, Alex Stansfield, John Walden, Brittany Saldita, Kazzi [=DeCarlo=], Gary Westhouse, and Lyssa Fielding) become celebrities and geek icons during their run on the show, as well as major recurring characters in the story, reviewing the various games that come out ITTL. Many of them use the show as a launchpad to successful careers later on; Stansfield becomes a respected games journalist running a site called Games Over Matter, Walden becomes the host of ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'', and Fielding enjoys success as a comedy actress on par with OTL's Creator/AnnaFaris. The show enjoys a revival in 2017 that lasts until 2023; one of the initial hosts of the new ''[=GameTV=]'' is Music/ChristinaGrimmie (who, in OTL, became a singer and Website/YouTube celebrity before being shot dead by a LoonyFan in 2016).

* ''VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater'' is still released in 1999 (albeit for the Ultra Nintendo and the Saturn), and still becomes a major franchise and a pop-culture-defining cultural touchstone of the late '90s. This is lampshaded in the story -- a post in TTL's version of Website/AlternateHistoryDotCom, in a thread, discussing what the butterflies would be from Nintendo siding with Philips instead of Sony (i.e. what they did in OTL), argues that ''THPS'' was the sort of game that was ''always'' going to happen, barring Tony Hawk himself suffering a freak accident or AlienSpaceBats invading in the '90s and outlawing skateboarding.

** Creator/BryanSinger's ''Film/XMen1'' is released in 1998. Creator/PatrickStewart still plays Professor Xavier; while he was initially afraid of TypeCasting thanks to both ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' and ''Batman & Robin'', Singer ultimately convinced him to take the role, which he embraced in time. Singer also managed to get his first choice for ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, Creator/RussellCrowe, cast in the part by offering Crowe a degree of creative control. The rest of the cast includes Creator/FamkeJanssen as ComicBook/JeanGrey (just like in OTL), Creator/MichaelBiehn as ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}, Creator/AngelaBassett as ComicBook/{{Storm}}, [[Wrestling/{{Kane}} Glenn "Kane" Jacobs]] as Colossus, Creator/BryanCranston as Beast, Creator/RutgerHauer as ComicBook/{{Magneto}}, Creator/ClancyBrown as Sabretooth, Rebecca Romijn as ComicBook/EmmaFrost (instead of ComicBook/{{Mystique}} like in OTL), and Patricia Ja Lee as Jubilee. The plot is similar to OTL's film (as are [[MovieSuperheroesWearBlack the costumes]]), though the Sentinels are introduced much earlier, their designs influenced by ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', and TheStinger alludes to the ''Dark Phoenix Saga'' showing up in the sequels. The film is seen as flawed, but good; while Hauer's performance as Magneto and [[WolverinePublicity the focus on Wolverine]] are criticized (with the latter criticism similar to the OTL film), the film is still a smash hit (especially [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff in Asia]]) that serves as the foundation for Marvel's "Media Universe" (so named because Marvel would later collaborate with Creator/StudioGainax for anime and video games set in the universe), while Jubilee becomes an EnsembleDarkhorse, boosting both her profile in the comics and Patricia Ja Lee's acting career. The film also spawns a notable MemeticMutation where Wolverine "snikt"'s Sabretooth [[GroinAttack right in the family jewels]]; the leak of the script online, combined with fan reaction to that scene in particular, leads Marvel to start [[AscendedMeme alluding to it in ads for the film]].

[[folder:Film]]

* Creator/ChrisFarley goes into rehab, butterflying his death on December 18, 1997. One result of this is that Creator/MikeMyers isn't called in to replace Farley in ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'', which ends up being canned when another of Creator/DreamworksAnimation's films doesn't do so well.

* ''Anime/FinalFantasyTheSpiritsWithin'' is never made, instead falling into DevelopmentHell after Sony started working with Creator/DreamWorksAnimation. Attempts by Sony to get [=DreamWorks=] and Square Pictures to collaborate on production never went anywhere, as [=DreamWorks=] wanted to go with a more stylized look instead of the photorealism that Square was looking for. However, some of the plot ideas were later recycled for ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', including the protagonist Aki Ross. Having never produced the film (which was a BoxOfficeBomb in OTL), Squaresoft is never forced into the dire straits that led to its merger with Enix.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'' and ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' were both the second and third animated films to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture ITTL – whereas ''{{WesternAnimation/Beauty and the Beast}}'' was the first (just like IOTL), but it was ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' that was the first (and, by far, the only) animated film to actually win the Best Picture Oscar ITTL.
* ''Aida'' is Disney's biggest film for 1999 based on [[Theatre/AidaVerdi the Giuseppe Verdi opera]]. The film follows Nubian princess Aida (voiced by Creator/CreeSummer) and her struggle to win her freedom after she becomes a slave. While this film is one of the darkest Disney films to date, its ending, which sees Aida and her lover, the Egyptian captain Radames, rescued by Aida's new friend (and Radames' one-time fiancé) Amneris before they would have succumbed from being entombed together, is a happy one (but when Disney later adapted the film for the Broadway stage musical, [[DownerEnding they changed the ending to a somber one]] where the two lovers die together but are reborn in the modern world). The film grossed around $120 million at the box office, though it is the best reviewed animated Disney film since ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994''.
** Following ''Aida'', Creator/{{Disney}}'s next big animated film was ''Kingdom of the Sun'', a loose adaptation of ''Literature/ThePrinceAndThePauper'' set in the Incan Empire was released in 2000. It follows a young and spoiled prince who switches places with a lookalike street urchin in order to take it easy for a little while, only for an evil witch to turn him into a llama and use his replacement as a puppet ruler. Together with a teenage girl llama herder and and a down-on-his-luck merchant, the prince must stop the evil witch and reclaim the kingdom. Boasting voice work by [[Series/BoyMeetsWorld Ben Savage]], Music/EarthaKitt, Creator/LaceyChabert, and Creator/JohnGoodman, as well as music by Music/AlanMenken, Creator/TimRice, and Music/{{Sting}}, it suffered through [[TroubledProduction development hell]], but went on to be seen as Disney's best film since ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'', making over over $150 million.
*** Disney's adaptation of ''Literature/TheSnowQueen'', is the studio's next big animated film in 2001 – twelve years before OTL's ''{{WesternAnimation/Frozen|2013}}''.

** ''Super Detective Club'', a remake of [[VisualNovel/FamicomDetectiveClub two Famicom Disk System mystery games]] from Nintendo.

* ''Film/{{Deadpool}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}'' are still released, and are almost identical to their OTL counterparts, right down to casting.

*** Lucas never went on to sell ''Star Wars'' to Disney with Kathleen Kennedy being completely absent from the franchise and focusing on other movies instead.

** ''VideoGame/StarFox'' becomes a SNES-CD game -- with live-action cutscenes by the [[Creator/JimHenson Jim Henson Company]]. The first game to utilize the [=SuperFX=] chip is ''Super Squadron X'', a sequel to ''X'' on the UsefulNotes/GameBoy.

** ''VideoGame/{{Pulseman}}'' is developed for the SNES-CD instead and published by Sony, along with Western releases. (OTL Pulseman only made a North American release via the Sega Channel before made available via the UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole.) It would be the basis of a relationship between Sony and the game's developer, Creator/GameFreak.

* With Nintendo sticking to their deal with Sony and there being no deal with Philips, the UsefulNotes/PhilipsCDi becomes nothing more than just a footnote in gaming history. This means that the [[VideoGame/HotelMario Mario]] and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames Zelda]] CD-i games IOTL are never made, and are never used in YouTubePoop parodies. Instead ''VideoGame/HotelMario'' [[DivorcedInstallment has all the Mario elements removed]] and is released as a SNES-CD game called ''Hotel Havoc'', which even gets a sequel.

* [[invoked]] Games that were [[NoExportForYou never released outside of Japan]] during the [[UsefulNotes/The8bitEraOfConsoleVideoGames 8-bit]] and [[UsefulNotes/The16bitEraOfConsoleVideoGames 16-bit]] eras in OTL get localized or RemadeForTheExport. Most notably, a large number of [[EasternRPG Japanese RPGs]] cross the Pacific thanks to ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' raising the genre's profile much earlier in the timeline. It culminates in Nintendo marketing a "Year of the RPG" in 1996 towards the end of the SNES-CD's life, partly in order to slow the Sega Saturn's building momentum before they release the Ultra Nintendo; as Creator/JamesRolfe would note in later years, it was effectively an attempt to pit gameplay and story against the Saturn's next-gen graphics, and one which had mixed results. Some of the games localized include:

* The UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy is never released, due to Nintendo's efforts being focused on their SNES-CD platform and, later, Gunpei Yokoi working with Ken Kutaragi on the Ultra Nintendo and the Game Boy Nova.
** And on a related note, Gunpei Yokoi stays on with Nintendo due to seeing the potential of their fifth generation console, and plans to make a new ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' game for it instead of retiring, butterflying away the UsefulNotes/{{Wonderswan}} (if Bandai's own mishaps didn't do it in) and Yokoi's own death.

* The UsefulNotes/GameBoy line advances quicker compared to OTL. The Game Boy Pocket is released in 1994 (originally 1996), while the UsefulNote/GameBoyColor (now with a Sony sound chip) is released in 1996 (originally 1998).

* With the early success of the Super Nintendo CD, Sega of America's president Tom Kalinske convinces his bosses in Japan to work with Silicon Graphics, resulting in the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn having the guts of OTL's UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}}. Also, the Saturn's surprise North American release at E3 1995 is butterflied away thanks to an ExecutiveVeto on Sega of America head Tom Kalinske's part overriding Sega of Japan's desire to get a head-start on Nintendo. As a result, its release on "Saturnday", September 2, 1995 gives developers plenty of time to finish games for it, and it enjoys just as much success in the US as in Japan. Alongside securing [[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Namco]] and Creator/{{Enix}} as Saturn-only developers, it nabs a number of early exclusives that went to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation IOTL. Its big games include:

*** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'' is still Sega-exclusive, except for the Ring-enhanced Sega Saturn instead of the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast OTL.
** ''VideoGame/TombRaiderI'', which enjoys superior graphics and gameplay (especially platforming and melee combat) over its incarnation on OTL's UsefulNotes/PlayStation. The plot is changed substantially, revolving around Lara Croft fighting a rival treasure hunter named Jade Bessemer for seven artifacts that contain the secret of immortality. Lara's famously large chest is also butterflied away, with the developers giving her more realistic proportions later in development as the game's graphical fidelity improved. She still becomes a gaming sex symbol, but this was mainly an unintended consequence. Later games start to suffer from SeasonalRot much like in OTL, though it is not as pronounced.

* Nintendo and Sony wait a little while to release their next console, the Ultra Nintendo. Not only are they still flush with the success of the SNES-CD, but they also spend much of 1994 and early '95 working out disputes over backwards compatibility, licensing, and royalties. The Ultra Nintendo is to be released in June 1997 in Japan and November '97 in the US, possessing backwards compatibility with the SNES-CD (at Sony's insistence), running new Ultra Nintendo games on a proprietary disc format of Sony's design called the Gigadisc, and powered by hardware comparable to a "proto-UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}}". The console is a record-breaking smash hit, selling two million units in 24 hours (with fights breaking out at stores across the country), experiencing shortages well into 1998, and quickly stealing the Saturn's thunder. Major titles include:

** ''VideoGame/TheBouncer'' is a late-cycle Ultra Nintendo game instead of Squaresoft's UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 debut. While it has excellent graphics for the Ultra Nintendo, it comes in for many of the same criticisms as OTL's game, most notably [[ItsShortSoItSucks its short length]] and dumb plot. However, as there was less riding on it, it's considered a mere misstep for Square rather than a flop.
** ''VideoGame/SteelBattalion'' is known ITTL as ''Iron Battalion'', and still uses the massive, 40-button, $200 controller, though here it serves as a GaidenGame to the ''Iron Combatant'' franchise. Owing to the different console, the graphics are obviously downgraded (development started too early to switch to more powerful hardware), though it has more of a plot to it. It is a success despite its high price, its attachment to a popular franchise as well as its unique controller driving interest, and it eventually receives a sequel in 2003 on the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} with graphics more in line with OTL's game.

** ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'', the third and final launch title, is made for the Ring as opposed to OTL's UsefulNotes/{{Dreamcast}}, and the technical limitations force Creator/YuSuzuki to somewhat scale back his original plans. Regardless, it still wins acclaim for its plot and its combat, and while it's not ''as'' big a commercial success as ''Spare Parts'' or ''Arbiter of Sin'' in the West, it outsells both of them combined in Japan. It's seen as playing a role for the Ring similar to that which ''Secret of Mana'' played on the SNES-CD, helping to deflect controversy over video game violence (in this case, that of ''Arbiter of Sin'' instead of ''Mortal Kombat'') by showing critics that games can also tell deep, involving stories with great artistic value.

* The Sega Katana, TTL's version of the [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] as the successor to the Saturn, launches in 2001, boasting a DVD drive (as do the other major consoles that generation) and a surprisingly low launch price of $250. Its exclusive titles include:

* Also debuting in 2001 is the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}, Microsoft's foray into video game hardware. It is slightly more powerful than the Sega Katana, though it doesn't have the massive advantage in horsepower that it had over the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube in OTL. While it doesn't have and online service on day one like the Katana does, Microsoft plans to implement such a system in the first couple of years after launch and make it a main focus of the console. Its exclusives include:

* The Nintendo Wave is TTL's equivalent to Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] and Creator/{{Sony}}'s UsefulNotes/PlayStation2. The console is originally colored aqua blue (similar to one of the original colors for the OTL 3DS), a color that resembles the ocean, with more colors made available later on. The Wave also has a sliding disc tray that pops out when the eject button is pressed (similar to the OTL [=PS2=]) as well as four controller slots for the system's controllers, which are wireless, but they use batteries (though rechargeable controllers are available as an option later on) and dongles which plug into the control slots (akin to the OTL Wavebird). The console can play DVD movies and dual-layer DVD games as well as play music [=CDs=], Ultra Nintendo Gigadiscs, and SNES-CD titles. Its major titles include:

* Creator/{{Sega}}, flush with cash from the success of the [[UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn Saturn]], steps in to fund the production of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. This results in increased production values (especially in the final few episodes) but also ExecutiveMeddling by Sega, clashing with Creator/HideakiAnno and requiring that he seek help with his depression. Fortunately, their clashes produce a widely acclaimed series nonetheless, and Anno acknowledges that Sega insisting he receive therapy was indeed for the best. Anno would later use his writing talents for Sega's games.

* When Apple pulls out of development of the game console they were working on with [[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Bandai]], Bandai is left to shoulder the full weight of the failure of the Solaris (TTL's name for the UsefulNotes/{{Pippin}}). The company nearly goes bankrupt, saved only by ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' merchandise, and to stay afloat, they're forced to sell the rights to the Franchise/{{Tamagotchi}} to Creator/{{Hasbro}} (who turns it into a smash hit). Ultimately, Sega buys out what's left of the company for a song in 1998, liquidating it and taking control of its [=IPs=].

!!ForWantOfANail -- Gaming

!!ForWantOfANail -- Non-gaming

* The 1994 San Marino Grand Prix is run without major incident, particularly averting the crashes and deaths of Roland Ratzenberger[[note]]During the Saturday qualifying session in OTL, his car's front wing broke off after damaging it going over a curb on the previous lap, leaving him with little-to-no front-end grip, leading to his failure to negotiate the Villeneuve kink, and subsequently hitting the opposing concrete barrier wall almost head-on[[/note]] and Ayrton Senna[[note]]During the race itself in OTL, on the second lap at race speed, his car's suspension bottomed out while taking Tamburello corner flat-out, causing the car to leave the racing line go straight off the right-hand side of the track and crash into an unprotected concrete barrier[[/note]]. Senna would not only go on to become the F1 World Champion for that year (rather than Michael Schumacher IOTL), but also take the Drivers Championship titles for the next three years as well until his jump over to UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} just prior to its 1998 season, and even becomes the spokesman for the first ''VideoGame/GranTurismo'' installment.
** An unintended consequence of a drama-free 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, however, is that the [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/GrandPrix_Circuit_San_Marino_Changes.svg alterations]] to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari that happen in OTL in the name of safety after those two fatal crashes do not happen ITTL.
* Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash during the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 does not happen in this timeline, but during the Aaron's 499 at Talladega the next year, Bobby Labonte dies as a result of a basial skull fracture, the same type of fracture that killed Dale IOTL, that occurred when he crashed. This leads to the proliferation of the HANS device and its subsequent adoption as required safety gear by NASCAR as in IOTL, though the device becoming mandatory did not happen until 2005, almost 3 years after, whereas IOTL, it became mandatory by as early as October 2001.

** ''VideoGame/TombRaider'', which enjoys superior graphics and gameplay (especially platforming and melee combat) over its incarnation on OTL's UsefulNotes/PlayStation. The plot is changed substantially, revolving around Lara Croft fighting a rival treasure hunter named Jade Bessemer for seven artifacts that contain the secret of immortality. Lara's famously large chest is also butterflied away, with the developers giving her more realistic proportions later in development as the game's graphical fidelity improved. She still becomes a gaming sex symbol, but this was mainly an unintended consequence. Later games start to suffer from SeasonalRot much like in OTL, though it is not as pronounced.

** Franchise/WonderWoman and the Silver Age [[ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} Hawks]] have their timelines adjusted and their places on the Justice League of America restored.

** A film based on ''Franchise/TheFlash'' is released in 2003 with Creator/JJAbrams directing and Creator/GeoffJohns producing the film and stars Creator/BradleyCooper as Barry Allen, Creator/JenniferGarner as Iris West, Sam Huntington as Wally West, Creator/EdHarris as Jay Garrick, Creator/HeathLedger as George Harkness/Captain Boomerang, Creator/CCHPounder as Amanda Waller, and Creator/JakeBusey as Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash. While the film is a somewhat box office disappointment, the film actually receives largely positive reception from critics and fans.
** A ''[[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Justice League]]'' film was released back in 2004 ITTL, with much of the cast being the same actors from the previous DC films, but recasted Batman with Creator/KarlUrban and Creator/WesBentley as Superman and casted Creator/KeithDavid (under the makeup of multi-Oscar winning makeup/special effects artist Creator/StanWinston) as Martian Manhunter. The film was directed by Creator/GeorgeMiller; however, it was supposed to be directed by Creator/JamesCameron, but after some setbacks – creating a TroubledProduction for the film – Cameron walked out of the project. The film was a critical and commercial smash, earning over $1 billion at the box office, and it even received good reviews, despite the criticisms focused on its editing (which was likely stemmed from its post-production problems). Regardless, it gained a massive fanbase and it's considered to be the best superhero movie to date.

* Creator/KevinSpacey still plays Lex Luthor in a ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' film. Likewise, Creator/LaurenceFishburne plays an important character in the franchise mythos (in this case, Brainiac instead of Perry White).

* Creator/KirstenDunst and Creator/JKSimmons still star in a ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' movie. Likewise, Creator/ScarlettJohansson and Creator/ChrisEvans are still cast in a ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'' film.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda'' gets a VideoGameRemake on a similar, if not the same scale as OTL's ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' in 2015, though it's one game only and not split up into multiple parts. On a technical and gameplay level, the game resembles OTL's ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', receiving a similar open world, voice acting for everyone except Link (with Creator/RobinWilliams even being given a role, due to his suicide being butterflied away ITTL), and with specific characters and events being expanded upon, though the main story is still relatively simple. Like the two aforementioned games, it receives immediate acclaim upon release and is generally considered to be a GOTY contender.

** In addition to having every single fighter return, ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' also has Raquel from ''Squad Four'', Toad and Veil from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros'', Falco Lombardi from ''VideoGame/StarFox'', Florges from ''Pokemon: Amethyst & Topaz'', Marx from ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'', Mike Jones from ''VideoGame/{{Startropics}}'', Deathborn from ''F-Zero: FIRESTORM'', Vaon from ''Slaughtered Planet'', and [[VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay Conker]] as part of the base roster. The DLC introduces Sadira Blackheart from TTL's ''Blackheart'' series, [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]], [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Waluigi]], Ellie from ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}: Order & Chaos'', and VideoGame/PacMan as part of the first DLC pack, Anna Goldstar from ''The Adventures of Anna Goldstar'', [[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry Bogard]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX Zero]], Ben Brochner from ''Ben Breaks the World'', and [[VideoGame/ChronoTrigger Crono]] as part of the second DLC pack, and [[Franchise/ResidentEvil Albert Wesker]], Lucy Brunstein/Netizen X from ''Cyberwar'', [[VideoGame/{{Fallout}} Vault Boy]], Amity Blight from ''The Boiling Isles'' (TTL's version of ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'', which is a video game), and [[WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster Captain N]], in a subversion of Sakurai's "only video game characters" rule.

* Nintendo's new deal with Sony includes provisions that Nintendo of America will not [[CensorshipBureau censor]] games for the CD add-on. As a result, ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat1 Mortal Kombat]]'' is released uncut on the Super Nintendo CD. This gets Nintendo in as much hot water as Sega with Congress on the subject of video game violence, the hearings taking place September 1993 instead of December 1993. Following that, Nintendo heavily markets ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' during the 1993 holiday season as a way to combat the controversy, boosting the game's profile considerably.

** More broadly, the youth movement and "culture of carefree leniency" that characterized Japan for much of the early-mid-2010s under Prime Minister Nagatsuma would face a massive backlash, not unlike what happened to the American counterculture after [[Film/GimmeShelter the Altamont disaster]]. A new wave of conservatism swept through Japanese politics and culture in the 2020s, with a cover of "Music/AmericanPie" chronicling Japan's youth movement and its downfall due to "The Day Anime Died" topping the charts for weeks.

* On November 18, 2017, Kensaka Haku, a moderately popular 28-year-old web creator, becomes "disillusioned" with the state of anime, particularly those associated with Kadokawa Entertainment, and instigates the Kadokawa Massacre, which involves a car bomb detonating resulting in the deaths of 177 people and thousands being injured, with the shooting taking an additional 38 more lives up to a total of 215 people, notably including Creator/HayaoMiyazaki, Creator/NobunagaShimazaki, Creator/RisaTaneda, Creator/KenjiNojima, Creator/KenichiSuzumura, Creator/MaayaSakamoto, Creator/YuuKobayashi, Creator/TakumaTerashima, and Creator/TiteKubo before Kensaka took his own life in the progress. The aftermath would see multiple Japanese media being delayed or cancelled out of respect for the victims, and a massive backlash against Japanese security and the youth movement, particularly its leader, Akira Nagatsuma, which resulted in him nearly losing his position as Prime Minister, and various other government officials removed or demoted, or even worse, arrested for dereliction of duty. This would result in the downfall of Japan's youth movement, not unlike what happened to America's youth movement and conservatives sweeping through Japanese politics, with even a version of ''Music/AmericanPie'' chronicling Japan's youth movement and its downfall due to "The Day Anime Died" topping the charts for weeks.

* Creator/{{Disney}} doesn't buy Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox because Fox "didn't think it could effectively market Disney content and maintain its own separate image.".

** ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'' is the same as the OTL game, but with different characters created from TTL's, such as Lana (from ''Super Mario RPG 2''), and Geno from the original ''Super Mario RPG''), a large variety of items, and a variety of Mario-themed levels to drive in. While its reception is mixed-to-positive, the game still sells extremely well.

** In addition to having every single fighter return, ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' also has Raquel from ''Squad Four'', Toad and Veil from ''VideoGame/SuperMario'', Falco Lombardi from ''VideoGame/StarFox'', Florges from ''Pokemon: Amethyst & Topaz'', Marx from ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'', Mike Jones from ''VideoGame/{{Startropics}}'', Deathborn from ''F-Zero: FIRESTORM'', Vaon from ''Slaughtered Planet'', and [[VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay Conker]] as part of the base roster. The DLC introduces Sadira Blackheart from TTL's ''Blackheart'' series, [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]], [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Waluigi]], Ellie from ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}: Order & Chaos'', and VideoGame/PacMan as part of the first DLC pack, Anna Goldstar from ''The Adventures of Anna Goldstar'', [[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry Bogard]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX Zero]], Ben Brochner from ''Ben Breaks the World'', and [[VideoGame/ChronoTrigger Crono]] as part of the second DLC pack, and [[Franchise/ResidentEvil Albert Wesker]], Lucy Brunstein/Netizen X from ''Cyberwar'', [[VideoGame/{{Fallout}} Vault Boy]], Amity Blight from ''The Boiling Isles'' (TTL's version of ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'', which is a video game), and [[WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster Captain N]], in a subversion of Sakurai's "only video game characters" rule.

* With Nintendo sticking to their deal with Sony and there being no deal with Philips, the UsefulNotes/PhilipsCDi becomes nothing more than just a footnote in gaming history. This means that the [[VideoGame/HotelMario Mario]] and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames Zelda]] CD-i games IOTL are never made, and are never used in WebAnimation/YouTubePoop parodies. Instead ''VideoGame/HotelMario'' [[DivorcedInstallment has all the Mario elements removed]] and is released as a SNES-CD game called ''Hotel Havoc'', which even gets a sequel.

** Speaking of James Rolfe, not only does Magazine/NintendoPower still runs the contest to win a walk on role for ''Film/TheMask II'' (which actually gets made ITTL), but he wins it.

* ''Aida'' is Disney's biggest film for 1999 based on the Giuseppe Verdi opera. The film follows Nubian princess Aida (voiced by Creator/CreeSummer) and her struggle to win her freedom after she becomes a slave. While this film is one of the darkest Disney films to date, its ending, which sees Aida and her lover, the Egyptian captain Radames, rescued by Aida's new friend (and Radames' one-time fiancé) Amneris before they would have succumbed from being entombed together, is a happy one (but when Disney later adapted the film for the Broadway stage musical, [[DownerEnding they changed the ending to a somber one]] where the two lovers die together but are reborn in the modern world). The film grossed around $120 million at the box office, though it is the best reviewed animated Disney film since ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994''.

* ''Aida'' is Disney's biggest film for 1999 based on the Giuseppe Verdi opera. The film follows Nubian princess Aida (voiced by Creator/CreeSummer) and her struggle to win her freedom after she becomes a slave. While this film is one of the darkest Disney films to date, its ending, which sees Aida and her lover, the Egyptian captain Radames, rescued by Aida's new friend (and Radames' one-time fiancé) Amneris before they would have succumbed from being entombed together, is a happy one (but when Disney later adapted the film for the Broadway stage musical, [[DownerEnding they changed the ending to a somber one]] where the two lovers die together but are reborn in the modern world). The film grossed around $120 million at the box office, though it is the best reviewed animated Disney film since ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing''.

* A major disaster when the Son of Beast collapses at Kings Island results in 22 people being killed and Cedar Fair going out of business from the resultant lawsuits. Kings Island itself is subsequently closed down.

** ''VideoGame/TombRaider'', which enjoys superior graphics and gameplay (especially platforming and melee combat) over its incarnation on OTL's UsefulNotes/PlayStation. The plot is changed substantially, revolving around Lara Croft fighting a rival treasure hunter named Jade Bessemer for seven artifacts that contain the secret of immortality. Lara's [[BuxomIsBetter famously large chest]] is also butterflied away, with the developers giving her more realistic proportions later in development as the game's graphical fidelity improved. She still becomes a gaming sex symbol, but this was mainly an unintended consequence. Later games start to suffer from SeasonalRot much like in OTL, though it is not as pronounced.

* [[invoked]] On March 16, 1997, a fight breaks out at an NBA basketball game between the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics. It starts when the Magic's Dennis Rodman (his spot on the Bulls is taken by Chris Webber) is ejected from the game for getting into a shouting match with the referee over a foul, followed by a Celtics fan tossing a racial slur at him; this causes him to go ballistic, run into the stands, and attack him. Meanwhile, back on the court, Shaquille O'Neal punches Penny Hardaway (who Shaq demanded get traded in the offseason) in the nose, setting off a melee between the Magic and the Celtics. Rodman is suspended for the rest of the regular season, both he and Shaq see their careers tarnished by the "basketbrawl", and the Orlando Magic enter a DorkAge.

* Creator/{{Konami}} sells off all of its franchises to Creator/{{Ubisoft}} in TTL, thus preventing the DorkAge that plagued their franchises from 2012, as well as the conflicts between Hideo Kojima and Konami's [[ExecutiveMeddling upper management]]. As a result, Kojima ends up writing a more satisfying conclusion to ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' (which is vastly different ITTL due to the story taking a different direction than in OTL), ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania}}'' ends up receiving an extremely successful WideOpenSandbox game called ''Castlevania: Nightshade of the Witch'', and perhaps most of all, Kojima ends up making and completing ''VideoGame/SilentHills'' instead of it being cancelled in OTL, which ends up garnering lots of acclaim and becomes a candidate for the "scariest game ever made".

** A Super Nintendo remake of ''[[VideoGame/{{Mother1}} Mother]]'', becomes this timeline's ''[=EarthBound=]'', the game's promotion doesn't use any ToiletHumor. This is in contrast to the original NES game only leaving Japan 16 years later. As for the sequel (OTL's ''VideoGame/EarthBound''), it heads for the SNES-CD instead.

** In addition to having every single fighter return, ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' also has Raquel from ''Squad Four'', Toad and Veil from ''VideoGame/SuperMario'', Falco Lombardi from ''VideoGame/StarFox'', Florges from ''Pokemon: Amethyst & Topaz'', Marx from ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'', Mike Jones from ''VideoGame/{{Startropics}}'', Deathborn from ''F-Zero: FIRESTORM'', Vaon from ''Slaughtered Planet'', and [[VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay Conker]] as part of the base roster. The DLC introduces Sadira Blackheart from TTL's ''Blackheart'' series, [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]], [[Franchise/SuperMario Waluigi]], Ellie from ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}: Order & Chaos'', and VideoGame/PacMan as part of the first DLC pack, Anna Goldstar from ''The Adventures of Anna Goldstar'', [[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry Bogard]], [[VideoGame/MegaManX Zero]], Ben Brochner from ''Ben Breaks the World'', and [[VideoGame/ChronoTrigger Crono]] as part of the second DLC pack, and [[Franchise/ResidentEvil Albert Wesker]], Lucy Brunstein/Netizen X from ''Cyberwar'', [[VideoGame/{{Fallout}} Vault Boy]], Amity Blight from ''The Boiling Isles'' (TTL's version of ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'', which is a video game), and [[WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster Captain N]], in a subversion of Sakurai's "only video game characters" rule.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

** In regards to Creator/FoxKids, ''Series/KamenRiderBlackRX'', ''Series/JuukouBFighter'' and ''Series/BFighterKabuto'' are never brought over as ''Series/MaskedRider'' and ''Series/{{Beetleborgs}}''. The former doesn't happen due to Creator/SabanEntertainment using their money to secure the ''Anime/SailorMoon'' license instead. The latter doesn't occur as Creator/FoxKids decides to opt for another girl power series to air following the success of ''Anime/SailorMoon''. The first one? ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'', or rather the ''The Buttkickin' Girls''. After they drop ''Sailor Moon'' from the lineup, they try to replace it with ''Anime/MagicKnightRayearth'', which doesn't do as well.

* Creator/{{Toonami}} debuts on Cartoon Network a year earlier starting Fall 1996, with ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'','' WesternAnimation/{{Reboot}}'', ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestTheRealAdventures'', and ''Anime/{{Slayers}}''.

* Creator/KirstenDunst and Creator/JKSimmons still star in a ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' movie. Likewise, Creator/ScarlettJohansson and Creator/ChrisEvans are still cast in a Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse film.

** ''VideoGame/{{Terranigma}}'' gets released in the US to rave reviews, ultimately selling over 1.2 million copies worldwide, thanks to lack of censorship on the part of Nintendo (a [[NoExportForYou major stumbling block]] for its American release in OTL was Nintendo's unease at its religious themes). It's the second-to-last Enix game ever released on a Nintendo console; Nintendo had been hoping to lure Enix away from Sega by heavily promoting the game, but by that point in time, Enix's exclusivity deal with Sega was already signed.